Staff Members Shut Down CCB Secretariat In Abuja Over Police Invasion Staged By Former Secretary

Staff Members of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) have abandoned their offices after a former acting secretary of the sacked CCB board, Abiodun Folasade Kolawole, allegedly stormed the Abuja secretariat with armed policemen, demanding to be reinstated in the bureau.

According to Ochingbo Edwin, who introduced himself as the secretary of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), Mrs. Kolawole came into the premises at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday with some policemen and attempted to pull down the door of her former office.

Reacting to the development, members of the bureau’s staff union shut down the whole secretariat, insisting that she would not be allowed to resume her former duties as secretary.

Mrs. Kolawole previously served as acting secretary of the Sam Saba-led CCB board. She was sacked along with other members of the board by an Abuja Federal High Court in April 2017, as their tenures had expired in 2015.

Prior to the court judgment that relieved the former board members of their duties, Mrs. Kolawole allegedly resigned from the bureau over disagreements with other members of the board.

However, a source told SaharaReporters that after the court ruling, Mrs. Kolawole wrote a petition to the Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government asking that she be reinstated, claiming she was intimidated out of office.

The JNC secretary, Mr. Edwin, was puzzled Mrs. Kolawole’s demands for reinstatement, as she was paid entitlements after resigning.

“She was queried, she responded to the query and was subsequently sent on suspension but she got angry and instead of going on suspension, she retired from service. She has been paid her due benefits and she has gone home.

“But then she turned around and went to the SGF and came with a black market letter that she should be reinstated,” Mr. Edwin told our correspondent.

Mr. Edwin explained that only the board has the constitutional right to reinstate or recruit people into the bureau, but since the last board was sacked by the court, another board has not been constituted.

“The board of the code of conduct bureau is not in place, so you (SGF) cannot be tell anybody to reinstate. The people who have such power as given by the constitution of Nigeria are only the board members, and the board is not in place at the moment. They do not have any business giving her any letter,” he said.

Furthermore, a staff of the bureau that is familiar with the reason for the fallout between Mrs. Kolawole and other members of the board said she was accused of diverting some funds through the bank account of her son, who is also a staff of the bureau.

Another member of the union who spoke to SaharaReporters decried her reinstatement, adding that the “bureau will be set on fire if she comes back.”

“If that woman returns it will be disastrous,” he said

Contrary to the claims of the union, Mrs. Kolawole told our correspondent over the phone that she did not attempt to pull down the door of her former office.

“I was supposed to report to my office this morning. When I got to the secretariat there was this labor union protest. For the fear of my life, for me not to be rough handled, I stayed away until after the whole protest went down. For the security of my life, I went to the DPO’s office in the secretariat there and reported and he followed me with his men.

“I was supposed to then see the most senior director because I was not allowed to enter my office by the labor union. So, I tried to see him and his office was locked, so I went back,” she said over the phone.

When asked about the stolen funds allegation against her and her son, she simply said the matter is being handled by the office of the SGF.